If you love all things Star Trek, and cannot get enough of it, then this blog is for you.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Why I Love the Kelvin Timeline Movies

Celebrating the five full decades of Star Trek should be a
yearlong event, so I thought I would spread the love of all things Trek.
Previously in this series I touched on why I loved the Original Series,the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and most recently Enterprise. For my
next entry, I am diving into shark-infested waters. Well, not literally,
although that might be safer than what I am attempting to do. Yes, it is time
for me to give my top 5 Reasons for why I love the Kelvin timeline movies. If
that name does not ring a bell, you may know it by a different title, such as
the reboot movies, the JJ Abrams-verse, or the Horrible-Piece-of-Defecation-That-Has-Destroyed-Star-Trek.
Yes, not since Kirk and Spock went looking for God in Star Trek V has anything
with the name “Star Trek” created such an outcry among the fans. To all the
haters of the Kelvin Timeline, I get you. I understand. I feel for you. I have
some issues with these movies as well (two words: lens flare). All I am asking
you is to hear me out, please. If you really don’t think there is any redeeming
quality about these movies, that they are a disgrace to the franchise, and
cause for Gene to be rolling over in his grave, then please, stop reading right
now. Go back to your life. Find something else to do. Watch The Wrath of Khan
or First Contact. Do whatever you need to restore your blood pressure. I am not
going to try to change your mind, but I don’t want to get you so upset that you
turn violent and start breaking things.

Still with me? Good for you. If you are like me, then you find
something good in these movies. If you are hating what Abrams has done to the
franchise but are still with me, I hope you are keeping an open mind. If not,
you have been duly warned.

In 2005 Paramount wanted more Trek on the big screen. At the time,
J.J. Abrams was working on Mission: Impossible III and had gained quite the
reputation with his TV work on shows like “Alias” and “Lost”. Writers Robert
Orci and Alex Kurtzman were brought on board, and for the next four years a new
Star Trek film was in the works. Fans waited with anticipation, some with more
dread and some with more excitement. Rumors flooded the internet. Questions
arose at warp speed. Names like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Ryan Gosling, and
Adrien Brody were tossed around as potential cast members. Then, as things
began to crystalize, the movie took form. In May of 2009, a new crew of the
Enterprise blasted onto screens. We were shown a new version of the classic
crew we had loved for over 40 years. Chris Pine was the new James T. Kirk,
Zachary Quinto as the new Spock. We even got to see Leonard Nimoy reprise his
iconic role, and the Star Trek universe changed. A new timeline was established
that allowed the powers that be to pay homage to the original series yet not be
chained to the extensive canon that had been previously established. The first
movie was a success, and as of this writing two sequels hit the summer screens
with a fourth installment in the works.

That is not to say that the new series wasn’t universally well
received. Many life-long fans felt that the show lacked the spirit and essence
of Star Trek. The exploration was traded in for flashy effects and action
sequences. The financial success of each sequel became less and less. Into
Darkness retold the story of one of Trek’s greatest villains, Khan Singh, and
some felt that the show was just trying to ride the waves of nostalgia without
offering anything new. When Star Trek: Beyond hit theaters in the summer of
2016, it was meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek,
yet the tragic death of actor Anton Yeltin (Chekov) and a weak performance at
the box office dealt some heavy blows to the beleaguered film franchise.
Whether it was lack of story-telling, the perceived slights to what had come
before, or too much lens flare on the bridge, the Kelvin timeline series had
more than its fair share of detractors. For myself, however, I found that there
were some real gems in these stories. Yes, Abrams himself admitted that he was
more of a Star Wars guy than a Star Trek guy, but I do believe that Abrams was
trying to find a balance between showing love to the old while making the story
new again. I have enjoyed all three films for different reasons, and yes, I see
the points that the other side makes. In many instances I agree with them, but
that does not mean that I could find nothing in this re-imagining to love. I give
you my Top 5 reasons here.

1. The Enterprise’s update – Anytime a franchise is rebooted there
will be updates to what was familiar. As technology improves things like the
starship Enterprise can be reimagined. I like the design of the new ship a lot.
It still looks like the Enterprise we loved in the classic series, yet it looks
more like something we would see in the future and less like a TV show prop
from the 60s. When Shatner and Nimoy appeared in the first motion picture, the
Enterprise received a bit of modern tweaking. The same happened here, and for
me it works.

2. The timeline solution – Whenever a franchise is rebooted or a
new sequel comes out, there is always the fear that it will not stay true to
canon. Well, there is a reason why these films are referred to as the Kelvin
Timeline. By introducing the time travel element in the first movie, the
producers found a way to preserve the existing canon, but allow them freedom to
do things differently. To have Vulcan destroyed and Spock’s mother die in the
2009 movie made it seem like anything could happen, and while this timeline
might seem familiar in some regards, it gives us the unpredictability that
provided the opportunity to tell stories that were new and fresh.

3. Karl Urban channels Kelley – When the casting announcements
were made, there was a lot of chatter about it. People had opinions formed
before the movie hit the screens. After the movie was released, there were even
more debates as to who gave the performance that was most in touch with the
original character. Some were great (Quinto as Spock), others were harder for
me to accept (Pegg as Scotty), but I thought all involved did a good job. Above
and beyond all of the rest, however, is Karl Urban. Urban played the role of
our favourite southern doctor perfectly. Yes, he wasn’t DeForest Kelley, but if
I closed my eyes I could almost see the old Bones on the screen again. It has
been reported that when Leonard Nimoy saw Urban’s performance, he wept tears of
gratitude at how much he was reminded of Kelley. I have seen Karl Urban at a
few conventions, and he has said that all he wanted to do was honor the rich
character that DeForest Kelley made so important to us all. Well, Mr. Urban,
you succeeded beyond our greatest hopes. This is the one point that I have yet
to hear even the harshest of critics dispute, and for good reason: they can’t.

4. Spock’s Approval – there are so many things about Star Trek
that are iconic. The Enterprise is widely recognizable, Kirk is a legend, and
everything from Tribbles to Klingons have become well known even among the
population that know little of Trek. There is one character, and with it one
actor, that is the most iconic in all of Star Trek, and that is Spock portrayed
by Leonard Nimoy. These movies were able to bring closure to Nimoy’s character.
He was essential to the first movie, a neat cameo in the second, and a touching
tribute in the third. None of this would have been possible if Leonard Nimoy
had not agreed to do it. Nimoy had retired from acting by this time. He was
under no obligation to be a part of this project. I believe that had he
disapproved of the films, he would not have been a part of them. Nimoy’s
validation should rightfully carry much weight, and I think he saw much of the
value that was in those films. Leonard Nimoy loved Star Trek, and if the new
movies were good enough for him, then that should mean something to his fans.
You may not have to agree with his opinion, but you cannot help but respect it.

5. A new generation – As I mentioned before, I understand why some
fans utterly despise this incarnation. There are Star Trek groups that forbid
any mention of the Kelvin Timeline in any way, and some fans can see literally
nothing of value in these movies. I will use what I think is my strongest
argument for why I love these films. It has allowed a whole new generation to
discover Star Trek. With Netflix and other media-streaming providers, the youth
who were not fortunate enough to be raised by Trekkie parents had a way to be
introduced to the franchise. I have attended two conventions in Las Vegas, and
I talk to some of the kids and younger adults who were not even around when the
Next Generation and Voyager were on the air. Many of them became fans because
of these movies. When they saw the movie, they looked up the show to see what
the fuss was all about, and they were hooked. They would then start to
binge-watch all the series, and before long were as knowledgeable and fanatical
as those of us that have been around for the majority of the five decades that
Trek was there. Some agree that the Abrams movies are mere shells of what Trek
was, but they admit that they might not have seen Star Trek without them. So,
whether you love or hate these movies, you cannot discount the fact that it has
brought new fans into the fold.

Well, there you are. I hope to hear your comments on this. Due to
the controversy that is wrapped up with the Kelvin Timeline, I respectfully ask
that all comments be that: respectful. Each of us is entitled to our opinions,
which is why IDIC is so beautiful and delicate to manage. I welcome your
thoughts and opinions (but please, be civil). Next up in this series: the
Animated Series!

4 comments:

I agree with you completely sir and have been saying these same things to anyone who will listen for years now. I must point out that the part about Karl Urban is dead on. He is by far the best at channeling the original character. I've heard that he arrived on set the first day as Bones. The line about "All she left me was my bones" - that was not in the script. That was Urban. They left it in because it was Dr. McCoy to a tea.

Cool story. Thanks for sharing. I also thought that the actor who played Sarek was also perfect at capturing the essence and dignity of Sarek. Even though he was Brittish and Mark Lenoard was American, both were so similar it was touching.

About the only high praise I personally can give the JJ-Trek movies is to the cast. I especially like Pine as Jim Kirk because he's got the appeal of Shatner without the odorous ego.

That being said, with all do respect I do share your opinion of the movies themselves. There are numerous reasons from the hyper-nerd such as how I didn't like the "hot rod" version of the Enterprise in the first two movies to how I utterly despise the JJ-Trek-1701-A we saw at the end of ST Beyond. Check out TREKYARDS videos on You Tube, they reviewed the new ship leaving many to write comments like me saying that despite their initial misgivings, they now wish the JJ-TREK-1701 hadn't been destroyed.

But mainly my dislike of the movies is based on the carelessness of the stories. The best example is how Khan went from someone from south Asia to a pale Englishman. That matter could have been easily cleared up with Admiral Marcus saying something to the effect that they changed Khan's appearance so that he could essentially walk around in public.

I could list other reasons why I dislike the movies but I realize my comment has gone on far too long.

I understand your points very well. As I stated in the article, I get why people had issues with it. I have found ways to look around the story issues for the most part. With B C as Khan, well, I get that they want an actor who is well known, and they tried so hard to make his reveal a surprise, but without slamming the fine actor that was a bit of a fail.

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About Me

A mild-manered science teacher who is missing his faithful dog Annie, loving his family, and ruler of his own domain (when life says he can). I love just about anything that is geeky, hate zombie and vampire movies in general, and love country music.